The Dimension After Next
by Yusagi
Summary: Even in a world changed, some things were never meant to be. AU snippets, scenes, chapters and drabbles set in the universe of The Next Dimension Over. Things that can't, didn't, or won't happen but would be fun if they had. From the very serious to the very silly.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So as the story goes along, there are scenarios I'd have liked to write that I just couldn't, like Sakura vs Goku in the first tournament. There are other scenarios I know just _won't_ happen that would have been nice to write, and some are just silly ideas that are definitely never going to happen, but are too amusing not to have.

That's what this story is.

An alternate dimension where things that never have and never will happen in _The Next Dimension Over_ will happen.

Naturally, this is not a set story like TNDO. They're random snippets/scenes of things as I think of them or they (don't) happen. They are not in any kind of order.

And to celebrate, I start with one of the silliest ideas there are.

* * *

 _The Dimension After Next_

 **1**

She slammed her fist into the table. It split in half, but that wasn't _really_ the point.

" _SIT._ _ **DOWN**_ _!"_

The bizarre creature (how anyone would have known he came from another planet and wasn't just another animal person of this earth if he hadn't announced it, she didn't know) froze in place. His angry rant quieted. Yellow-gold eyes turned toward her. Confusion slowly melted into irritation, and she couldn't make herself give a damn.

" _You_." She pointed at him. Conveniently, his companion stood _right_ next to him, so they were both encapsulated by her accusing finger. "I don't care what you're here for. _I_ am not missing _my daughter's_ chuunin examination for a _birthday party in a different universe_! That I didn't agree to attend! So that _you can blow it up_!"

Really, it was nice to see everyone again. They'd assured her that whatever caused the hiccup, they actually had the dragon balls on hand to send her back home immediately, so why _not_ visit a bit first. As much as she enjoyed seeing her old friends, her daughter still took priority.

And she _sure as hell_ was not here to put up with some new random deity throwing a temper tantrum. She was about _twenty years_ past putting up with deities.

"I don't _give a damn_ if you're disappointed! I will _make_ you pudding if it will shut you the hell up, but you _are not_ blowing up the planet _I am on_ when I have _an appointment_! Suck it up, take your temper tantrum somewhere else, or so help me _god_ I will bring my husband and Naruto _here_ and lock you in a dimension where the only thing you'll be destroying is _Black Zetsu_!"

The cat's slim companion squinted in confusion. "Black _what_?"

" _SIT_!"

Satisfyingly, the purple creature actually _did_ sit down. His companion's expression flickered briefly to surprise, and then to mild amusement, before he sat down as well, apparently invested once more in the food he'd had in front of him previously.

The cat sighed, looking bored. "...I suppose it _would_ be troublesome to destroy the world without ever getting a _taste_ of this pudding."

In the distance, the Saiyan prince collapsed against a tree.

She pointed at him. "Stay _put_ and I'll bring you some."

He grumbled in a strange way that sounded like an angry purr. "Hurry up. I'm bored already."

 _Honestly_.

She stormed into the nearby house with an irritated huff.

At the very least, having been abducted by her old friends in the middle of an important day, she could have had an afternoon _without_ raising a child.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Dimension After Next_

 **2**

"You _what_?"

"...Don't make me say all that again." She could swear that no matter how old Goku got, he still looked just as young as he did when they'd first met whenever he pouted. It wasn't a flattering look on him, under the circumstances.

She pinched at her forehead and gave a small sigh. "...You don't think it's a _little_ abrupt?"

The man rubbed a hand through his hair and gave an awkward laugh which wasn't remotely apologetic. "Well, it's not really like we had very much advanced notice, either. Like I said, it happened pretty suddenly."

"...I'm still trying to process how short a turnaround it was for you to buddy up with people who wanted to destroy your planet this time." It's not like befriending old enemies was unprecedented - it's practically to be expected of any enemy who didn't die. And Naruto himself had made plenty of friends pretty quickly after trying to mutually kill each other.

It was just...

"Regardless, the timing is pretty inconvenient if you expect me to uproot my life _again_ for some tournament that has nothing to do with me." Honestly, she'd complain that they never just used the technology Bulma created to cross over for _social_ calls, but the last time they had, it'd almost dragged her into another battle for the planet. During the chuunin exams. Which she missed because of that.

"But it _does_! The whole _universe_ is at stake! If the warriors of our universe lose, who _knows_ what that other guy will do with the dragon balls!"

"Which makes it _more_ confusing, given I'm _not from your universe_." It wasn't like she didn't care, but the two men in front of her alone ought to be able to handle any kind of threat their crazed universe could spit out anyway. And if not, their new ally who hovered back in the distance looking more interested in the ramen cart than the conversation apparently had ample power to spare. _She_ was most definitely _retired_. Her husband was finally living at home again and her daughter was starting out the journey of shinobihood, she was definitely, definitely retired from all that life.

"Yeah, but you lived here for your whole life, right? We talked to Whis about it and he said you could be an exception!"

"Be that as it may - " The man - Whis apparently, she'd been introduced previously but long ago forgot his name until now - spoke up then, not actually looking up from the menu he poked at. "It would be better _not_ to mention that in front of Lord Champa."

...How reassuring. Not that she was thinking of going, but it was certainly reassuring to think she might spend all that time and effort going to help them with some tournament just to be rejected once she got there.

"It comes down to you or Majin Buu." The other Saiyan who stood with Goku finally chose to speak, instead of looming behind the taller one like the world's shortest bodyguard. "And _frankly_ suggesting Majin Buu to participate is the stupidest idea Kakarot's had in a _long_ time. If you refuse to participate, then we might as well have only four participants from the outset."

Whis made a chuckling sound off behind them that sounded like it masked a snarky comment, but he was too far away for her to determine what it was. How promising, that.

...She found herself rubbing at her forehead again. A headache. She had a headache again. She might have loved these friends of hers like family, that world like her own, but _dammit_ could they time their randomly rude intrusions on her life poorly.

"Oh, yeah!" Goku nodded suddenly, crouching a bit in excitement. "That reminds me! Not only will it be us, but Beerus is bringing in another competitor he chose himself! This guy is apparently the strongest person he ever fought in our universe. Isn't it exciting? Don't you want to meet the strongest person in the universe next to Beerus?"

"Not really." Well. Yes. Maybe. Someone stronger than Goku who hadn't gotten involved even when Buu threatened the universe was...maybe interesting, but he was clearly an unpleasant person if he _hadn't_ gotten involved. And she had things to do!

"Sakura, _come on_." His calloused hand settled on her shoulder, and he frowned at her. "How long has it been since we fought together, huh? It's been _ages_ for me, and I know it's been even longer for you. I know this isn't the same thing as defending the world from Buu, but wouldn't it be nice to team up and fight new and exciting opponents in one last tournament? Think about all the different fighters we'll see from totally different universes!"

"Besides that, there's a written test to prove you're smart enough for the tournament." The shorter one, Vegeta, finally cracked a small smirk. "When Kakarot bombs out of it, we'll need _someone_ to take out all the weaker opponents before it's my turn. I'd get bored if I had to do all the clearing out myself."

She sighed, crossing her arms and ducking her head. Really. She felt like a student getting talked out of a test in the academy. "...I can't just keep disappearing on my family now that we're together."

"Well, if that's the case, there's nothing to worry about." The blue man, Whis, stood closer now. He carried a knapsack over his back stuffed concerningly full of what appeared to be wrapped bowls of ramen from the shop. "The contestant's friends and family _are_ also invited. Although in your case the same statutes of secrecy would apply. Still, there's no need to disappear at all."

"Yeah! See?" Goku beamed at her and nodded. "You can invite all your friends here to see the other universe like you said you would!"

Ah...fine. She couldn't really avoid letting them come see. Still, she poked his chest. "...Just one condition."

"Uh?" He blinked and rubbed at the point she'd prodded. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want."

"You're not allowed to fight, spar, or _duel_ Naruto or my husband at all. Not one punch or contest of any sort."

He blinked and frowned. Vegeta also looked fairly put out by it, both asking at the same time, "Why _not_?"

She waved her hand, turning to go...gather up her family, friends, and supplies. "I don't want to deal with the drama."


	3. Chapter 3

_The Dimension After Next_

 **3**

"...Oh dear."

"DO _NOT_ 'OH DEAR' THIS!" She pointed at him with all the threat she could muster in a moment. His smile didn't look remotely worried.

"Well, would you prefer 'oh my'?"

"I would prefer if you _fixed_ this." She gestured wildly to the area around them, arms flinging with enough force to almost knock herself off balance.

Whis' lips quirked downward in one of the first expressions she'd seen of annoyance from him. Not with her, but with the situation. Well, given that he did it while looking not _at_ her she assumed it was. "Had I the ability, I'd have already done so."

...Eh? After all the powers and tricks he'd shown off at the tournament and when threatening the world, he didn't have the power to just...jump ahead a while?! "You're _joking_?!"

He sighed and turned his gaze to her then, no longer frowning, but still rather unamused. "Well, this _is_ the trouble with time travel. I've tried to say before, it can be rather...unpredictable. Especially when traveling dimensions."

A familiar - or...at least _somewhat_ familiar voice called out across the way. "Saku-" The voice cut off abruptly even as she turned toward it.

...Did his orange outfit _always_ seem so ill-fitting and about to devour him? The boy who stood in front of her now seemed like skin and bones, knobbly knees and elbows even through his rough, loose-fitting clothes, and that smooth face, unlined by years of worry and war stared up at her in surprise. "...Eh. Heh." Naruto rubbed at his hair and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You looked like someone I know, but nevermind. Up close, you're actually really old."

" _Excuse me?!_ "

She was maybe a little too close to decking a child - and her life long friend - in the middle of a public street. The slim blue hand that appeared on her shoulder the moment one of her hands clenched made that clear.

...Geez. The honeyed glass of nostalgia really washed away how easily he could get under her skin as a kid, hadn't it? She shook her head quickly and waved her hand - both to dismiss Naruto's waning attention and Whis' concern. "Yeah...don't worry about it."

He stared up at them both a moment longer with a suspicious frown, sun glinting off of the goggles she didn't even remember him ever wearing in his life, and then sprinted off down the street without another word in their direction. He...he really was tiny, wasn't he? Maybe even smaller than Goku when they'd first met.

Anyway. She spun back on her celestial travel mate, hissing as quietly as she could manage. "I mean it. _Take me back!_ "

"I can't." His lips purse slightly, staring down at her with a look as impassive as the mountainside looming over them. "My ability to manipulate time doesn't span a _generation_ , even if such travel were wise."

"Fine then, just bring us back to Bulma! I'll _make her_ fix it this time."

"A rather difficult proposition even for her at ten, don't you think?" A slim brow arched, nothing else on him moved. Like it was just too much effort to emote properly. "Were I to take us back, it would be in this exact time, I'm afraid. You've dabbled rather more than enough in that dimension's timeline as it is, and if I were to cross over there as well, it would mean having two of myself in the same time and universe."

"There's two of _myself right now_." Wasn't he busy watching a sleeping demon or something right then anyway? She distinctly remembered hearing something like that.

He gave a short hum, which she was rather certain by now was just a way to cover up an unflattering remark he had the good sense but not the restraint to keep to himself. "You may have noticed that we are somewhat different beings. Trust me when I say the result would not be the same."

She stared up at him for a few more moments, but it was rather clear she could no more intimidate him into obedience than anyone else could. Mild mannered and soft spoken he might be, but she'd never seen anyone quite as hard-headed and unflappable. She'd have a better chance at finding something to bribe him into taking risks than intimidating him into it.

Finally, she turned on her heel with a huff and crossed her arms. "...Are you suggesting I just have to relive the past _thirty years_? _**Again**?"_

"Heavens no." He brushed past her then, calm as ever, gaze darting back and forth across the town that looked...almost barren now compared to the place she'd been living in so long. "As questionable as her methods and morals may be, Ms. Bulma is a remarkably smart woman. Eventually she'll correct the issue on her end. We merely have to wait until then."

She squinted at him as he started down the stone bridge they'd appeared on. "And how long is _eventually_?"

He didn't bother to look back at her, and really, it could barely be said that he bothered to respond at all. "Hm."

In none of the disturbingly many worlds she'd stepped foot upon had she ever heard the word 'hm' used as a legitimate measurement of time. Which meant it wasn't an answer to her question _at all_.

"Whis..." She called out to him when it was evident he had no intention of following up that noncommittal sound with anything concrete.

He was _definitely_ pretending not to hear her.

 _"Whis_!"

* * *

AN: 1...2...3 here's a magic trick - you're now thinking of SakuWhis


End file.
